St. Louis City Ordinances have been converted to electronic format by the staff of the
St. Louis Public Library. There may be maps or illustrations (graphics) that are not
available in this format. This electronic version has been done for the interest and
convenience of the user. These are unofficial versions and should be used as unofficial
copies.

Official printed copies of St. Louis City Ordinances may be obtained from the
Register's Office at the St. Louis City Hall.

An Ordinance pertaining to impeding and interfering with pedestrian and
vehicular traffic; repealing Section One, part 827.280, of Ordinance 57831,
codified as Section 17.16.270 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis, and
enacting in lieu thereof new provisions pertaining to the interference of
pedestrian and vehicular traffic; containing a severability clause, penalty
clause and an emergency clause.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION ONE: FINDINGS.

1. The City of St. Louis is authorized to regulate the use of public highways,
streets, boulevards, sidewalks, alleys, parks, public grounds, squares, wharves,
bridges, viaducts, subways, and tunnels, pursuant to Article I, Section 1 (14)
of the Charter of the City of St. Louis. Further, the City of St. Louis is
authorized "[t]o define and prohibit, abate, suppress and prevent or
license and regulate all acts, practices, conduct, business, occupations,
callings, trades, uses of property and all other things whatsoever detrimental
or liable to be detrimental to the health, morals, comfort, safety, convenience
or welfare of the inhabitants of the city and all nuisances and causes
thereof." Charter of the City of St. Louis, Article I, Section 1 (25).
Moreover at Article I, Section 1 (33) of the Charter of the City of St. Louis,
the City is empowered to "do all things whatsoever expedient for promoting
or maintaining the comfort, education, morals, peace, government, health,
welfare, trade, commerce or manufactures of the city or its inhabitants."

2. The residents of, visitors to, businesses owners of, and taxpayers within the
City of St. Louis have an interest in protecting themselves from the health and
safety problems associated with having their reasonable movement as pedestrians
or while in vehicles obstructed, impeded, interfered, hindered or delayed or
being solicited for a ride, employment, business or contributions while in their
vehicles.

3. It has been determined that existing law does not sufficiently address the
interest of the public and the health and safety problems associated with
interfering with pedestrian and vehicular traffic, because the current law does
not clearly define what behavior is proscribed as impeding and interfering with
pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

SECTION TWO. Section One, part 827.280, of Ordinance 57831, codified as Section
17.16.270 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis is hereby repealed.

2. Public Building means any structure that has a business license from the City
of St. Louis; conducts governmental business on behalf of the United States of
America, State of Missouri or City of St. Louis, or other authorized
governmental entity; non-profit entity; restaurants, banks, shops, gyms,
financial institutions, libraries, museums, hotels and other entities that
invite the public as customers, patrons or visitors; place of employment;
schools; medical facilities; places of worship; and residential property of more
than 4 dwelling units.

3. Private Building or Private Place means any residential property or lot of
fewer than 5 dwelling units.

SECTION FOUR

1. Enacted in lieu are the following new provisions:

17.16.275 Impeding and Interfering with Pedestrian an Vehicular Traffic.

A. No person, or persons congregating with another or others, shall stand or
otherwise position himself or herself in any public place in such a manner as to
obstruct, impede, interfere, hinder or delay the reasonable movement of
vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

B. No person, or persons congregating with another or others, shall stand or
otherwise position himself or herself in any entrance, exit, corridor or passage
of any public building in such a manner as to obstruct, impede, interfere,
hinder or delay the reasonable movement of vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

C. No person, or persons congregating with another or others, shall stand or
otherwise position himself or herself at the entrance or exit to a private
building, including driveway, entrance to a garage and entrance to a parking
pad, in such a manner as to obstruct, impede, interfere, hinder or delay the
reasonable movement of vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

D. No person, or persons congregating with another or others, shall for the
purpose of selling or offering for sale goods or services without a license; or
soliciting a ride, employment, business, or contributions from vehicular
traffic:

1. stand or otherwise position himself or herself in any public place;

2. stand or otherwise position himself of herself at the entrance or exit to a
private building or public building, including the driveway, entrance/exit to a
garage and entrance/exit to a parking pad.

E. No person who has committed an act or acts within the description of
subparagraphs A through D above, upon being given an order by a police officer,
state trooper, marshall, ranger, firefighter, Missouri authorized security
guard, or other authorized law enforcement or emergency response personnel to
disperse, clear, or otherwise move, shall fail or refuse to obey such order.
Such failure or refusal shall constitute the separate offense of failure to obey
a dispersing order by a police officer, state trooper, marshall, ranger,
firefighter, Missouri authorized security guard, or other authorized law
enforcement or emergency response personnel.

F. Any person violating any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall, for each
such violation, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be
subject to a fine of no less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than
five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for not more than ninety days, or
by both fine and imprisonment.

SECTION THREE. Severability Clause.

The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of this ordinance
is declared invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions of the
ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision.

SECTION FOUR. Emergency Clause.

The passage of this ordinance being deemed necessary for immediate preservation
of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist
within the meaning of Section 20 of Article IV of the Charter, and this
ordinance shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its passage and
approval by the Mayor